What Has Happened To The America Of Old?

Other than 9/11, and the days that followed, how many of you talk regularly to your neighbors? When was the last time you asked them for help with a project? When was the last time you offered your help? When was the last time you visited with them for coffee? When was the last time you sat out in the yard together and just watched your kids play? When was the last time you had the neighbors over for a bar-b-q? When was the last time you all piled into a car (or cars) and headed to the beach? Or the ball field for a pick-up game? When was the last time you slept with your doors unlocked? When was the last time you left your car unattended - and unlocked? When was the last time you had a good laugh or cry with your neighbor? When was the last time you walked to the store? When was the last time you went to a drive-in? When was the last time you could walk down the street and see a policeman who knew who you were, and asked about your kids? When was the last time you took a drive - just to drive? Little by little America has been taken from us. Now we find ourselves afraid to walk alone at night - and depending upon the place, sometimes even during the day. We might know who our neighbors are, but rarely interact with them. We expect a crime to occur and plan for it - by locking our doors, installing alarms, driving instead of walking. In the past 50 years we've done a nice job of empowering our government and our criminals; it's time we started to empower ourselves now. And it's easy - it's right there in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We just need to recognize that those documents were written in specific language. They are not living documents like some would have you believe. They are not a "list of what government can't do to you, but which don't mention what government must do on your behalf" as Obama would have you believe. Government must only do this on our behalf - leave us alone to live our own lives! Had government stayed out of the picture these past 50 years, America as I knew her might still be around. If we continue to let the government meddle, who knows what we'll evolve into. But I have a guess. Can you say USSA? Wake Up America!